The inaugural season of the Alliance of American Football will end with a primetime, network-televised clash between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences. And it will take place in Texas.
Wednesday, the league announced that the championship game has been moved from Las Vegas to Frisco. The game will still take place on Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. Central and be broadcast on CBS. The game will now be held in Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the league said.
“The Alliance has built a foundation of high-quality football, revolutionary technology and world-class partnerships with the NFL, CBS and Turner Sports,” said Jerry Jones, owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. “It was only natural that we at the Cowboys organization would want to join that great group of partners. I have always believed that our great game of football could use a league to give players the shot they needed to make it to the NFL, and Bill Polian, Tom Dundon and Charlie Ebersol, have done just that. We are proud to be able to host their inaugural Championship Game.”
In a release, Charlie Ebersol, co-founder & CEO, The Alliance, said, “We are eternally grateful to the people and city of Las Vegas as well as Las Vegas Events and the LVCVA for their early support and confidence in what we have created. Not only is Las Vegas the home of our investor and world-class partner, MGM Resorts International, Vegas is the undisputed mecca for live events. While we won’t play our championship game in Vegas this year, we will still be offering a one-of-a-kind experience for Alliance fans in Las Vegas during our Championship weekend.”
“Jerry Jones isn’t just a close friend of Tom, Charlie and mine, but he is also a great supporter of our league,” AAF Head of Football Bill Polian said in a release. “To be able to showcase our brand of top-flight football on NFL Draft weekend in the state-of-the-art football facility built by Jerry is a Texas-sized win for our league. Texas has played a huge support role in the launch of The Alliance. Our San Antonio Commanders average nearly 30,000 in attendance for home games, and we are sure football fans in Dallas/Fort Worth will support our Championship.”
Fans who purchased tickets to the game at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium will receive full refunds. Tickets for the 2019 Alliance Championship will go on sale Thursday, March 28 at 10 am ET on AAF.com. Ticket prices will range between $15 and $99.
With four games remaining in the regular season, the San Antonio Commanders and Orlando Apollos lead the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. The Apollos narrowly defeated the Commanders, 37-29, in the second week of the season.
A potential rematch in the championship game would be the third chance for CBS viewers around the country to watch San Antonio's team. The Commanders appeared on the opening-night broadcast on February 9 and will have their April 6 game against the Memphis Express air on the network as well.
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